IVR (interactive voice response) systems enable companies to handle larger volumes of customer calls with more precision. By enabling the customer to direct his or her call to the correct operator—or when possible, to an automated resource—companies can handle these calls more efficiently.
However IVR systems have many drawbacks. For example, customers often have to wait on hold, which can be frustrating. A further source of frustration is the imprecise nature of voice recognition, which can lead to errors as the customer attempts to navigate through systems powered by voice recognition.
On the other hand, messaging systems, such as chat systems, have the advantage of using text. Recognition and understanding of text is more developed. Such systems also enable a single human operator to interact with multiple customers simultaneously. Furthermore, customers can interact through messaging in a private manner, even in a public or noisy environment. Such systems are currently in use on websites, for example.